Juan Villoro and the Estadio Azteca
Juan Villoro has experienced the Estadio Azteca from countless seats. From its inauguration in 1966 to recent days — on the eve of its becoming the first venue to host three World Cups — the writer has inhabited this space, whether suffering for his beloved Necaxa or covering, from the edge of the ring, the most attended boxing match in history.
Drawing on those memories, Villoro says that from any corner of the colossus “everything looks good, because it has an impeccable internal plan”. That is no accident.
The architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez conceived the venue under a strict monumental and democratic logic, ensuring that a structure of colossal scale would guarantee excellent visibility for every attendee, no matter where their seat was.
Speaking with Gramo, Villoro recounts that he was able to review the Ramírez Vázquez archive, and what struck him was the sheer number of sightline drawings the architect and his team produced to guarantee perfect visibility from practically any location.
To this is added an acoustic design — perhaps unintentional, but highly effective — that sends the sound of the crowd pouring toward the center of the field.
“You can hear how the crowd discharges its sound toward the center of the field. That is to say, the public expresses itself enormously because of the acoustics the stadium has, and that is another of the Azteca's great achievements.”
This formidable resonance chamber has held the passions of thousands of fans across the decades. Villoro himself has taken the pulse of that feeling, whether in the stands during league and national team matches, or living the roar of the colossus at ringside, on that legendary night when Julio César Chávez faced Greg Haugen in what turned out to be the most attended boxing match in history.
For these reasons, Villoro believes the Azteca deserves to be declared unalterable heritage, since it has been the site of an urban mythology where unrepeatable feats took place: the crowning of Pelé's masterful Brazil in 1970, the dramatic “Game of the Century” between Italy and Germany, Diego Armando Maradona's absolute consecration in 1986, as well as epic concerts and mass events that have marked the history of Mexico City.
“It is a stadium that has brought crowds together, sentimentally and passionately, for many decades.”
Ultimately, the great merit of the project was to conceive a colossal space on a premise of absolute respect and inclusion. By ensuring good visibility from every seat, the project showed that the true protagonist of the stadium is the public.
With the creation of the Estadio Azteca, Ramírez Vázquez imagined a colossus of concrete capable of holding the heartbeats and passions of an entire nation. Sixty years after its inauguration, and on the way to becoming the first venue to host three World Cups, the Azteca — besides being a key piece of his great legacy — remains the sacred temple where we often manage to understand our own identity.
“Ramírez Vázquez designed a stadium made for people, with an understanding that everyone has the right to see the game well, to include the fans decisively in the spectacle. He gave the fans their value, and that is not always visible.”
Photos: Casa Estudio Pedro Ramírez Vázquez archive. Quotations translated from the original Spanish interview.
